Man pulls elderly woman from Buena Park house fire

A still from amateur video shows smoke from a house fire in Buena Park on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012. A driver who passed by the blaze ran inside the home and rescued an 80-year-old woman from the flames.

September 17, 2012 12:00:00 AM PDT

BUENA PARK, Calif. --

An elderly woman is safe thanks to the quick thinking of a passing driver who pulled her out of her burning home in Buena Park.

The fire happened in the 8400 block of Ridglea Avenue on Sunday. Witnesses say before emergency crews arrived, a man who was driving by in a black SUV saw the house in flames and jumped into action. He entered the home and helped the 80-year-old woman to safety. The woman reportedly suffers from dementia.

She was uninjured and her dog was found unharmed in a neighbor's home.